10 Movies That Escaped The Dump Month Curse

3. Cloverfield

Cloverfield is a film that was supported by its viral marketing campaign. Much like The Blair Witch Project in the 90s, the advertisements were all about mystery and hiding as much as possible. In fact, one of its teaser trailers didn't even feature a title which made the movie even more intriguing.

But past all the pre-released hype, was the film worth it?

Released on January 18, 2008, Cloverfield's viral marketing would prove to draw audiences due to the secrecy around the film. Everyone's curiosity led to the film grossing $172.4 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. At the time, it had the biggest January release ever and its record would only be beaten six years later.

In terms of critical reception, the film was well-received by critics and audiences and is considered one of the best films of 2008. Its found-footage style was praised for being well-executed and despite featuring a huge monster, director Matt Reeves opted to focus on the story and the horrors of city-wide disaster. It's imagery and events were also considered timely and hard-hitting for audiences.

Cloverfield's critical and financial success would spawn an anthology series consisting of 10 Cloverfield Lane in 2016 and The Cloverfield Paradox in 2018.